Coastal Grandma Core:
5 ways to wear linen

In honor of internet’s new favourite trend, Coastal grandma core, we’ll show you how to wear linen in 5 different ways.

Images courtesy of ATP Atelier SS23

So, who is Coastal grandma? She typically lives by the beach and spends her days growing tomatoes, sipping Chardonnay on her porch, and reading Nora Robert novels. But above else, she is a linen connoisseur, dressed head to toe in light colours and loose, breathable fabrics. If the coastal grandma core aesthetic had a moodboard it would be all breezy and beige.

Diane Keaton – The original coastal grandma

She is the original coastal grandma, as much on screen as off screen, famous for her androgynous style with tailored suits and fedora hats. She is often seen wearing loose linen pants, crisp shirts with wide belts, structured blazers, and silk scarfs tied around her neck. Her most iconic coastal grandma moment was in the Nancy Meyers movie Something’s Gotta Give, where she plays a divorced woman, wearing loose fit cream toned outfits, who lives in a beach house in the Hamptons (it doesn’t get more coastal than that).

Gwyneth Paltrow – LA coastal grandma

She is the modern version of coastal grandma core – LA clean girl who runs a business empire by day and cooks bone broth batches in her le Creuset by night. The Goop founder’s wardrobe is filled to the brim with luxurious basics and elevated essentials like soft cashmere knits, linen shirts, suit pants, and feminine dresses. Think preppy cuts, earthy tones, and nautical stripes – a look that pairs exceptionally well with long walks on the beach and weekly visits to the farmers market.

Discover linen at home

Meghan Markle – Royal coastal grandma

The Duchess of Sussex is known for her elegant, feminine, and always put-together wardrobe. It’s a catwalk of boat necklines, wrap dresses, tulip skirts, and necktie blouses. Whether she goes to Wimbledon to watch a game of tennis, heads to an event, or partakes in an interview with Oprah, she remains graceful, posh, and girly with just a breeze of that New England coastal look.

Angelica Svanström – Scandi coastal grandma

Swedish photographer and influencer Angelica Svanström is perhaps the youngest coastal grandma of the bunch. Famous for her Zen Instagram home and beachy, minimalist style. Think oversized taupe blazers, linen pants, and hamper bags, and a house that fuses Scandi minimalism with Mediterranean pastoral vineyard – rustic materials, muted color palettes, and cloudlike linen sheets drooping over the bed. Her entire vibe is giving beach picnics, sourdough bread, fresh laundry hanging out to dry, and lounging in the hammock with a wide-brimmed sun hat and piles of French literature.

Sienna Miller – Boho coastal grandma

She was the it-girl of the 00s celebrated for her boho chic look with miniskirts, folklore blouses, and knee-high boots. Today her style has evolved into a more polished and timeless wardrobe with hints of bohemian edge, meaning anything from striped shirts and linen shorts to floral patterns and mini dresses. If you get invited for a dinner party at her quaint English cottage, you’ll most likely be greeted by a lady in a white linen set and wide-brimmed hat, cooking up some fresh produce while pouring you a glass of Sauvignon Blanc.

How to care for linen

Wash

Linen is a durable fabric that can last for years if treated right. If you wash it in a washing machine pick a temperature below 40 degrees (otherwise the fabric might shrink). If you handwash, don’t rub or squeeze too hard as it tends to damage. Rinse carefully – gentle goes a long way.

Dry

It can be tumble dried at a low temperature, but the best way to keep the shape and size intact and avoid wrinkles, is to let it flat dry on its own.

Iron

Achieve the best result when ironing linen by dampening it a bit and iron on the reverse side of the fabric. If you want to keep the rustic feel of linen, leave it as is, wrinkly and au naturel.